'Gran Torino' review

Clint Eastwood (Credit: Warner Bros.)

Photos:

After the death of his wife, Korean War vet/ex-Ford employee/racist grouch Walt (Clint Eastwood, who also directed) has little to do but grumble about kids these days, people on his lawn and the various minorities who have taken over his Detroit neighborhood. (This ball-buster isn't close with his kids or grandkids.) After his teenage Hmong neighbor (Bee Vang) flubs a gang initiation by failing to steal Walt's prized '72 Ford Gran Torino, Walt gradually warms to the boy and teaches him how to be a man. It's not as sentimental as it sounds.

The buzz: Eastwood already helmed this year's spotty "Changeling," but "Torino" has him back in stable, teeth-gritting territory. (Yes, you probably will expect him to ask some punk if he feels lucky.) It's also the 78-year-old actor's first time in front of the camera since 2004's "Million Dollar Baby," and the performance is commanding, funny and rich in anger that seeps from him like toxic gas from a valve.

The verdict: Nobody growls like Clint growls, yet "Gran Torino" becomes a remarkably sweet movie considering half of it is the big man groaning and barking bigoted comments. There's not much bite to the racial conflicts or depth to the supporting characters, with kids presented mostly as shy and innocent or violent gang members. But Eastwood's presence and voice are a force to be reckoned with—imagine the added zip Eastwood's narration could add to something like "High School Musical 3"—while masking loneliness and regret that eat away at even the hardest hardass. It's an Oscar-worthy turn as a man who learns he doesn't have to totally knock down the fences he's built around himself, but it's OK to lower them a bit.

Did you know? Walt insists that men (and only men) can perform half their household chores using nothing but WD-40, vice grips and duct tape. So, guys, can you?

Add a comment